alt

Translingual

Symbol

alt

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Southern Altai.

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔːlt/, /ɒlt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɑlt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːlt, -ɒlt

Etymology 1

From Latin altus. Doublet of old and alto.

Noun

alt (uncountable)

1. (music) High pitch, of a voice or instrument; especially, the octave above the top line of the treble stave.
   • 1762, George Colman, The Musical Lady:

     Sop[hy] Moderato! moderato! Madam. Your Ladyship's absolutely in alt. / L[ady] Scr[ape] In alt! Madam? / Sop[hy] Yes, in alt- Give me leave to tell your Ladyship, that you have raised your voice a full octave higher since you came into the room.

   • 1794, Mrs. Bennett (Agnes Maria), Ellen, Countess of Castle Howel: A Novel, volume 1:

     The duet was in alt; one stormed, the other half crying, half scolding, made up in volubility what her aunt possessed in authority, and it was not 'till Lady Meredith had twice raised her mild voice, either party could be silenced.

   • 1857, Anne Manning, Helen and Olga: a Russian tale, page 194:

     And he began, — "Poor insect! born to flutter and to die;" — falling into the second, directly Helen took the first, till he got down to such unreasonable bass that he suddenly gave a shriek in alt that made Olga stop her ears.

2. (now archaic) A state of excitement, a heightened emotional condition.
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, The History of Clarissa Harlowe: In a Series of Letters:

     I was, however, glad at my heart, that Mrs. Moore came up so seasonably with notice, that dinner was ready. The fair fugitive was all in alt. She had the game in her own hands; and by giving me so good an excuse for withdrawing, I had time to strengthen myself; the Captain had time to come; and the Lady to cool.

   • c. 1875, Charles James Lever, The Dodd Family Abroad:

     "Not," added she, as her eyes glittered with anger, and she sidled near the door for an exit—" not but, in the estimation of others, you may be quite an Adonis—a young gentleman of wit and fashion —a beau of the first water; I have no doubt Mary Jane thinks so— you old wretch!" This, in alt, and a bang of the door that brought down an oil picture that hung over it, closed the scene.

   • 1891, Douglas William Jerrold, Tales: now first collected, page 113:

     He had no wish to pry or listen; but if people would talk in alt, whilst he moved, like a mole, about his business, family matters would cleave the ear which, however it tried, could not be deaf.

   • 2011, Jo Beverley, “The Marrying Maid”, in Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love‎, page 50:

     That lady was in alt at Loxsleigh's high station and had spent the morning making inquiries of her friends, which also allowed her to spread the word about her interesting new acquaintance.

Etymology 2

Abbreviations.

Adjective

alt (not comparable)

1. Clipping of alternate.
   • 2021, Rhian Jones, Lucy Heyman, Sound Advice: The Ultimate Guide to a Healthy and Successful Career in Music‎, Shoreditch Press, →ISBN:

     […] Adele, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Frank Ocean, Drake, and Ed Sheeran are among many artists who don't appear to spend a lot of time online (or if they do, it's using alt accounts).

2. Clipping of alternative, especially as a cultural phenomenon seen as being outside the mainstream of its genre.

   alt-rock

   alt-right

   alt medicine

   • 2023 March 5, Miranda Sawyer, “Sleaford Mods: ‘The UK is like a crazy golf course – all we’ve got left are landmarks’”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Fearn is thoughtful and deeply alt (“I’ve always been an oddball”), less demonstrative but more confident.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:alt.

Derived terms

Noun

alt (plural alts)

1. Clipping of altitude.
2. (Internet slang, gaming) An alternate or secondary character.
   • 1996, Jonobie D. Baker, “Survey of MUSHers.”, in rec.games.mud.tiny (Usenet):

     Of these alts, how many of them are a gender other than your own?

   • 2000, KaVir, “Code Bases - why release buggy crap?”, in alt.mud (Usenet):

     Yes, I have many alts, and no, none of the others have any unusual capitalisation.

3. (Internet slang) An alternate account.

   Hyponym: sock puppet

4. (finance) An alternative investment or alternative fund.

   liquid alts

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From German Alt.

Noun

alt (plural alts)

1. Synonym of altbier
   • 1999, Brian Glover, The Complete Guide to Beer, Barnes & Noble, →ISBN, page 146:

     Top-fermenting ales are still brewed, notably the alts of Düsseldorf and kölsches of Cologne.

   • 2000, Ray Daniels, Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles, Brewers Publications:

     On average, the mash temperatures used in the NHC second-round alts and kölschs were higher, at 153 °F (67 °C) and 151 °F (66 °C) respectively.

   • 2015, Mark Dredge, The Best Beer in the World: One Man’s Globe Search for the Perfect Pint, Dog ‘n’ Bone Books, →ISBN:

     In the last two days I have drunk 10 different beers in each city and feel the Kölsches were within a narrower flavor profile, being relatively similar to each other, whereas Alts had more range of aroma and flavor.

   • 2016, Tim Hampson, The 50 Greatest Beers of the World, Icon Books:

     Ale yeasts are often described as top fermenting, but top cropping would probably be a better description: the yeast ferments at all levels throughout the liquid, but once its work is done it collects at the top of the fermenting vessel (traditionally these vessels would have been open at the top). Family members include bitters, porters, stouts, alts and kölschs.

Anagrams

• ATL, Atl., LAT, LTA, Lat., TLA, Tal, lat, lat.

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• altu

Etymology

From Latin alter, alterum. Compare Romanian alt.

Adjective

alt m (f alte, m plural alts, f plural alti)

1. other

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

alt (definite accusative altı, plural altlar)

1. lower part
2. bottom

Declension

Derived terms

• altında (“under”)

Adjective

alt (comparative daha alt, superlative ən alt)

1. lower

   Antonym: üst

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin altus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alt

Adjective

alt (feminine alta, masculine plural alts, feminine plural altes)

1. high

   Antonym: baix

2. tall

   Antonym: baix

Derived terms

Related terms

• alçar
• altitud

Further reading

• “alt” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “alt”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “alt” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “alt” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• aod, auw (Kirchröadsj)
• oot (westernmost Ripuarian)

Etymology

From Middle High German alt, fromOld High German ald, northern variant of alt. The variation between the stems alt and aal is due to the development -ald- → -āl-, which occurred only in open syllables.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alt/

Adjective

alt (masculine aale, feminine aal, comparative aaler or ääler or älder, superlative aalste or äälste or ältste)

1. (most dialects) old

   Von aale Löck ka’ mer noch jet liehre. ― There’s something to be learnt from old people.

   Dat alt Huus möt mer ens renoviere. ― That old house should be renovated sometime.

Usage notes

• The commoner comparation forms were originally aaler, et aalste. Today, those with umlaut are preferred due to influence of German älter, am ältesten.

Related terms

• Eldere

Cimbrian

Etymology

From Middle High German alt, from Old High German alt, from Proto-West Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz. Cognate with German alt, Dutch oud, English old, Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis).

Adjective

alt (comparative éltor, superlative dar éltorste)

1. (most dialects) old, elderly

   an alta brau ― an elderly lady

   an altar mann ― an old man

   an altes baip ― an elderly wife

   an altes ménle ― a little old man

   alte lòite ― elderly people

   De belt ist alt. ― The world is old.

Declension

Derived terms

• altekhot

Related terms

• galtar

References

• “alt” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo
• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter , Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Crimean Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aldaz.

Adjective

alt

1. old
   • 1562, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Legationis Turcicae Epistolae Quatuor:

     Alt. Senex.

     Old. Old.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

alt m inan

1. alto

Declension

Danish

Pronoun

alt

1. neuter singular of al

Daur

Noun

alt

1. gold

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from German Alt, ultimately from Latin altus. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑlt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: alt
• Rhymes: -ɑlt

Noun

alt m (plural alten, diminutive altje n)

1. alto (musical part)
2. alto (person or instrument)

Noun

alt f (plural alten, diminutive altje n)

1. a woman singing or playing the alto part

Usage notes

The word alt is feminine when it's used to indicate a woman singing or playing the alto part.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• lat, tal

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse allr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

alt n (masculine allur, feminine øll)

1. all

Declension

Adverb

alt

1. all

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin altus.

Adjective

alt

1. high

   Antonym: bas

Related terms

• alçâ
• altece

Noun

alt m (plural alts)

1. top, summit

German

Etymology

From Middle High German alt, from Old High German alt, from Proto-West Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz, from Proto-Indo-European *altós, *h₂eltós, from *h₂el- (“grow, nourish”). Compare Dutch oud, Low German old, West Frisian âld, English old. Doublet of Alt, a loanword from Italian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alt/,

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

alt (strong nominative masculine singular alter, comparative älter, superlative am ältesten)

1. old

   Wie alt bist du? ― How old are you?

2. ancient
3. elderly (inflected in the comparative)

   ältere Menschen ― the elderly

Declension

Antonyms

• jung

Derived terms

• a. St.
• Alter m (“old one; mate”), Alte f
• Alter n (“age”)
• altern
• ältlich
• veralten

Related terms

See also

Further reading

• “alt” in Duden online
• “alt” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “alt” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Hungarian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -ɒlt

Noun

alt (countable and uncountable, plural altok)

1. contralto (female singer or voice)

   Coordinate terms: mezzoszoprán, szoprán

2. alto (vocal section)

   Coordinate terms: szoprán, tenor, basszus

Declension

Further reading

• alt in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• alt in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *alta. Cognates include Finnish alta.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑltɑ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlt/,
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlt/,
• Rhymes: -ɑlt
• Hyphenation: alt

Adverb

alt

1. (of motion) from underneath

Postposition

alt (+ genitive)

1. (of motion) from under
   • 1936, V. I. Junus, Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 136:

     Kissa tuli aitan alt.

     The cat came from under the storehouse.

Antonyms

• päält (“off”)

References

• V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 136
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 11
• Arvo Laanest (1997) Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 19
• Olga I. Konkova, Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014) Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎, →ISBN, page 14

Irish

Alternative forms

• (Etymologies 1 and 3): allt (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al̪ˠt̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish alt (“joint, articulation”), from Proto-Celtic *ɸaltom (“joint”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌰𐌽 (falþan, “to fold”) and Ancient Greek πέπλος (péplos, “woven cloth”). The sense ‘article’ is a semantic loan from Latin articulus, itself a semantic loan from Ancient Greek ἄρθρον (árthron).

Noun

alt m (genitive singular ailt, nominative plural ailt)

1. (carpentry) joint; juncture
2. (anatomy) joint, knuckle
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 8:

     tā alt m aurdōǵ ĺūntə.

     [Tá alt m’ordóige leonta.]

     The joint/knuckle of my thumb is sprained.

3. knot (in wood)

   Synonyms: cranra, dual

4. hillock
5. bit (of land, tobacco, etc.)
6. stumpy person
7. paragraph; section (of act, etc.)
8. (grammar, parts of speech, publishing) article; clause

Declension

Derived terms

Verb

alt (present analytic altann, future analytic altfaidh, verbal noun altadh, past participle alta)

1. (transitive) articulate, joint

Conjugation

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian alto.

Noun

alt m (genitive singular ailt, nominative plural ailt)

1. (music) alto

Declension

Derived terms

• altach

Etymology 3

Noun

alt f (genitive singular ailte, nominative plural altanna)

1. Alternative form of ailt (“steep-sided glen; ravine”)

Declension

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “alt”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 24
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “alt”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “alt” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “alt” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from German halt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalt/
• Rhymes: -alt
• Hyphenation: àlt

• Audio

  (file)

Interjection

alt

1. stop!

Khalaj

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *ăl.

Pronunciation

• (Xarrâbî) IPA^(key):

Noun

alt (definite accusative altı, plural altlar)

1. under, bottom
2. underside

   Synonyms: asra, ast

Declension

References

• Doerfer, Gerhard (1980) Wörterbuch des Chaladsch (Dialekt von Charrab) [Khalaj dictionary] (in German), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian alto, from Latin altus.

Adjective

alt

1. high

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adverb

alt

1. sometimes

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

From Turkish alt (“bottom; under”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːltʰ/, /ɑːlt/

Noun

alt ? (Arabic spelling ئالت)

1. Only used in alt bûn (“to be beaten, defeated”)
2. Only used in alt kirin (“to beat, defeat, subdue”)

References

• Chyet, Michael L. (2020) “alt’”, in Ferhenga Birûskî: Kurmanji–English Dictionary (Language Series; 1), volume 1, London: Transnational Press, page 7

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Latin altus, via Italian alto; compare with German Alt.

Noun

alt m (definite singular alten, indefinite plural alter, definite plural altene)

1. (music) alto; contralto

Etymology 2

Determiner

alt

1. neuter singular of all

Pronoun

alt

1. everything, all, anything

   alt kan skje ― anything can happen

Derived terms

• altetende
• fremfor alt, framfor alt

References

• “alt” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑlt/
• (neuter singular of all): IPA^(key): /ɑʎc/ (Trøndelag dialect. Eye dialect spelling as ailltj or ailtj)

Etymology 1

Adverb

alt

1. already

Etymology 2

From Latin altus, via Italian alto; compare with German Alt.

Noun

alt m (definite singular alten, indefinite plural altar, definite plural altane)

1. (music) alto; contralto

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Norse allt. Compare to Swedish allt

Determiner

alt

1. neuter singular of all

Pronoun

alt

1. everything, all, anything

   alt kan skje ― anything can happen

References

• “alt” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown-up”), from Proto-Indo-European *altós, *h₂eltós, from *h₂el- (“grow, nourish”).

Adjective

1=eldiro
2=eldiro
3=eldist
4=eldist

alt

1. old

Inflection

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: out
  • Dutch: oud
    • Afrikaans: oud
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: hau
    • Jersey Dutch: āud, āut
    • Negerhollands: oud, ouw, houw, hou
    • Skepi Creole Dutch: ou, oud
    • West Flemish: elde
  • Limburgish: aad

Further reading

• “alt”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old High German

Alternative forms

• ald — northern

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz, whence also Old English ald. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *altós, *h₂eltós, from *h₂el- (“grow, nourish”). Compare Old Frisian and Old Saxon ald, Old English eald, ald and Old Dutch alt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alt/

Adjective

alt

1. old

   miti thên altôn ― with the elders

Descendants

• Middle High German: alt
  • Alemannic German: altu, oalt, oalt, olt, àltà (Italian Walser)
  • Bavarian:

    Apeltonerisch: old

    Central Bavarian: oid /ɔed̥/

    Cimbrian: alt

    Mòcheno: òlt

    Northern Bavarian: old /ɔːld̥/

    Southern Bavarian: ålt /ɔltʰ/

    Udinese: olt, òlt

  • Central Franconian: alt

    Hunsrik: alt

    Kirchröadsj: aod, auw

    Luxembourgish: al

  • German: alt
  • Rhine Franconian: alt, all

    Frankfurterisch: ,

    Pennsylvania German: alt

  • Vilamovian: aołd
  • Yiddish: אַלט (alt)

References

• Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Old Irish

Verb

·alt

1. third-person singular preterite active conjunct of ailid
2. singular preterite passive conjunct of ailid

Mutation

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German alt. Compare German alt, Dutch oud, English old.

Adjective

alt (comparative elder, superlative eltscht)

1. old

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

alt

Wikipedia ^pl

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alt
• Syllabification: alt

Etymology 1

Internationalism; compare English alto. Possibly borrowed from German Alt or Italian alto. First attested in 1586.

Noun

alt m inan

1. (music) alto (singing voice range)

   matowy alt ― smoky alto

   głęboki alt ― deep alto

   ciepły alt ― warm alto

   ostry alt ― striking alto

   niski alt ― low alto

   śpiewać altem ― to sing in an alto

2. (music) alto (instrument within the alto range)
3. (music, obsolete) portion or section of a song sung in an alto
4. (hunting, obsolete) middle-pitched voice of a hunting dog (instrument within the alto range)

Declension

Noun

alt m pers

1. (music) alto (person with an alto voice)

   Synonyms: alcista, altysta

Declension

Related terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English alt, as found on keyboards. First attested in the late 20th century.

Noun

alt m inan

1. (technology) alt, alt key

   lewy alt ― left alt key

   prawy alt ― right alt key

   naciskać/nacisnąć/wciskać/wcisnąć alt ― to press the alt key

Declension

Etymology 3

Learned borrowing from Latin altum. First attested in 1652.

Noun

alt m inan

1. (Middle Polish) enthusiasm, gusto

Declension

References

Further reading

• alt in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• alt in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “alt”, in Słownik języka polskiego‎
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “alt”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861‎

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *altru, from Latin alter, alterum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élteros.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alt

Determiner

alt m or n (feminine singular altă, masculine plural alți, feminine and neuter plural alte)

1. other, another

Usage notes

Alt can only be preposited and unarticulated. Instead of an articulated form, celălalt (“the other”) exists.

Altul (“another one”) superficially resembles the articulated adjective form, but is actually a self-standing pronoun.

The genitive and dative forms can also be formed like those of a regular adjective, using forms of un: unui alt, unei alte, unor alți, unor alte.

Declension

References

• alt in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish alt (“joint, articulation”), from Proto-Celtic *ɸaltom (“joint”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌰𐌽 (falþan, “to fold”) and Ancient Greek πέπλος (péplos, “woven cloth”).

Noun

alt m (genitive singular uilt, plural altan)

1. joint
2. (grammar) article

Derived terms

• alt-aiseig (“linkspan”)
• alt cinnteach
• alt neo-chinnteach

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Italian alto (canto), high (song).

Noun

alt m (Cyrillic spelling алт)

1. (music) an alto

Related terms

• altovi

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish آلت (alt).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑɫt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: alt

Noun

alt (definite accusative altı, plural altlar)

1. bottom
2. under

Declension